Scientists find tiny new bat species: Geneva museum

• Chew Bakar

  1 Jul 09, 12:11

  

  Aellen's  Vesper Bat Miniopterus aelleni

  AFP - Wed Jun 24, 1:55 pm ET

  GENEVA (AFP) – Scientists have identified a new species of bat weighing just five grammes in the Comoros island archipelago off eastern Africa, the Natural History Museum in Geneva said on Wednesday.

  Australian, Madagascan, Swiss and US scientists were documenting bats in the former French colony when they came across the new species, which originates from nearby Madagascar, the museum said in a statement.

  The mammal has been named "Miniopterus aelleni" in honour of the late Villy Aellen, a former head of the Geneva museum and a major bat specialist.

  Some 10 new species of mammal have been identified every year since 2000, the museum said.

   

• lianamaster

  4 Jul 09, 16:16

  That's a good sign...

• Bangulzai

  5 Jul 09, 16:24

  until this day, there are still a lot of animals that we can't know of because they are "shy".  there was a recent article about this and i need to find it

• lianamaster

  6 Jul 09, 18:18

  That's what nature lovers like you ought to find out.